


Vvulf Taming

by Coryn02



Category: Darkest Dungeon (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Betrayal, Dark, Deviates From Canon, Diplomacy, Evil Versus Evil, Gen, Marvin Seo, cosmic horror
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-01-25 18:39:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18580315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coryn02/pseuds/Coryn02
Summary: Now the lord of the Darkest estate, the Heir is barely able to keep the Hamlet safe from the encroaching forces on all sides. The Houndmaster, tired of being sidelined due to his lack of experience, convinces three other heroes that there is so much more they could do with autonomy- and with some powerful new allies, if they're lucky.





	1. Confronting the Heir

I'll be using default names for characters. If I have multiple options, I'll pick what I like best.

\--

Even the sun is bleak at the Hamlet.

 

That’s just the way of things now, William told himself. As he contemplated the battered, ramshackle dwellings before him, a furry face rubbed itself against his hand. He turned to see Laika, his loyal hound, expectantly looking up at him. For years, she’d been his partner and best friend. William smiled, and petted her, before moving on as she followed.

 

Together, the pair walked past the humble inn they’d been staying at these past few weeks, to the only building that seemed to be in some state of repair: the town hall. The man knocked on the door, and waited. After a few moments, he was answered by a wild-eyed old man.

 

“Greetings, sir William. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

 

“Hello, Dominic. I’d like to meet with Lord Darkest, please.”

 

The caretaker chuckled to himself, then looked seriously at William.

 

“How long has it been?”

 

“Almost two months now.”

 

A moment of silence passed between the two. Dominic's weathered face showed a flicker of concern.

 

“I know how much this means to you, and I like you in particular. I’ll see if I can get you an audience. Pray that he’s in a good mood today.”

 

William bowed respectfully. “Much appreciated, Dominic.”

 

William glanced back at his companion Laika, who was currently scratching her ear as she sat next to him. After a few more minutes, the caretaker returned, and beckoned them inside. Putting his hands together, he explained.

 

“The good news is that he’s agreed to see you. But fair warning, he’s a bit cranky from being overworked. Up in his study, as usual.”

 

The officer nodded, and proceeded up the short staircase into the furthest room down the hallway.

 

Inside was a room full of paperwork: maps tacked on walls and tied with strings, salary payment records scattered on his desk, and stacks of books left open on the floors. Behind the table was a single beleaguered-looking man, with a grim visage.

 

The extent of these efforts was not lost on William, but just as he paused, his superior spoke:

 

“Come take a seat, William.” He said, gesturing to the lone chair opposite him.

 

Reluctantly, the lawman entered the room, and sat. Laika followed inside, panting in the heat without a care in the world.

 

“I understand you have a matter of the utmost importance you wish to discuss with me?”

 

“Y-yes, sir. Please forgive my interruption, Lord Darkest, I did not-”

 

The Heir interrupted him, swatting the air as he spat:

 

“If you hadn’t wanted to interrupt my work, you wouldn’t have come here! I’m always busy these days.”

 

William clenched his fist once, and then tried to make his case once more.

 

“My lord, it has been seven weeks since you last sent me on an expedition. But I’m skilled, sane, and healthy, so I don’t understand why that is. Could you tell me?”

 

“Well, the reason is quite simple. You aren’t good enough.”

 

After being spoken so brazenly, William was stunned. How could he say something like this?

 

“ _You_ are the one who took me on to begin with. If I wasn’t ready to fight chaos, whatever form it might take, I would never have come to this place.”

 

The Heir mused for a moment.

 

“Yes, yes, if only neither of us had never come to this horrible place… We’d be much better off.”

 

“You never answered my question.”

 

“Do you realize how much work I have these days?”

 

William stared at his employer. He didn’t find this a very pointed question, given it seemed so obvious from his disorderly workplace.

 

“Your study speaks for itself, my lord.”

 

“Oh, sure, the paperwork looks impressive, doesn't it? But what I’m talking about is _this._ ”

 

Pulling open a drawer, Lord Darkest grabbed a pointer, and then tapped one of the maps on the side wall for emphasis as he spoke.

 

“ _This_ is the Hamlet, where we are now. At all times, we are being assaulted on the Old Road by bandits and the Hag’s covens, raided at sea by the Pelagics, overrun by undead from the Darkest family’s own burial vaults, and having our numbers lowered by the Swine-Folk, through kidnapping or cannibalism.”

 

“But if there is so much danger, why am I not-”

 

“It is _because_ of the danger that I am not sending you out, William! The last time that I did so, Laika was badly injured… That unholy _thing_ ran her through. We are very lucky she didn’t lose her life.”

 

William shuddered at the very memory: a skeletal figure in a yellow robe, made of hundreds of skulls with eyes that glowed like his own. One of its summoned skills tried to bleed her out with a spectral knife.

 

His canine friend was lying down on the floor, looking up and whining when her name was mentioned.

 

“Then… Why keep us here?” William asked with a touch of sadness.

 

The Heir sighed in exasperation, sitting back down and burying his face in his hands.

 

“It’s a miracle that I can keep the Hamlet safe at all while also making sure all my workers stay alive. I know this task risks the lives of everyone who undertakes it, but I’m not going to let _anyone_ die if I don’t have to. And lately, it’s just been too dangerous for you. You have too much potential for me to let you wade into the slaughter, William.”

 

The houndmaster was dissatisfied, but he’d decided that this was the best answer he could hope for. He stood and began leaving, as the Heir called after him:

 

“I'll let you know if I’ve got a mission for you, like always.”

 

But even now, an idea began growing in William’s mind.

\--

More chapters will follow soon. I'm pretty new to fanfiction writing, so any constructive criticism is appreciated.


	2. Meeting An Old Friend

Late in the evening at the Hamlet’s tavern, business as usual. Among the more typical patrons, looking to find ways to forget the misery of their condition, Lord Darkest’s employees could also often be found here. Some of the time they came with their own coin, during some time between expeditions. Others arrived with far greater sums in tow, and often troubled demeanors to match.

 

William was neither of these. He entered the establishment, intent on finding someone instead. He recognized a few people: Tardif, a man of few words, seated in the corner. Boudica, the barbarian warrior who seemed intent on drinking herself to death after every glorious triumph, as she called her missions.

 

Finally, he spotted the one he was looking for. A woman with light brown hair, wearing a tattered coat and bracers along with her distinctive capotain hat.

 

“Evening, Audrey.”

 

The woman adjusted her hat by the brim to meet William’s eyes. She smiled, and clapped him on the back.

 

“William! Come to join me for a few rounds?”

 

“Ah, no. Not tonight, I’m afraid.”

 

Audrey pouted. She turned back to her tankard, trying to down another swig, but felt somewhat cheated upon finding out it was empty. She gave her friend a mischevious look.

 

“Open a tab and we’ll talk.”

 

“Come now, Audrey, you know I’m short right now.”

 

“Just because we’re _friends_ , doesn’t mean I’ll listen to you for free. I just got back from the aqueducts.” Her voice darkened. “The smell never really leaves you.”

 

William’s old bones shuddered at the thought of the place. An old system of water transport beneath the abandoned parts of the Hamlet, now home to a filthy race of monsters called the Swine-Folk. Very often his missions had led him there, and he never enjoyed them.

 

The bartender was passing by, so the houndmaster called him over with a wave. Rifling through his pockets, he took out a sack of gold coins and put it on the bar.

 

“Two rounds, one for myself and the lady.”

 

The rough-looking fellow behind the counter nodded, took the money, and left. He came back a few moments later with two more tankards, each overflowing with foam. Audrey grabbed hers right away, and drank it eagerly.

 

“Okay, you have your round. Mind listening to me now?”

 

“Sure thing. What’s on your mind?”

 

“I went to speak to Lord Darkest today.”

 

The woman gave him an odd look, before sighing.

 

“I don’t know why you keep barking up that tree, William. You know you have to wait your turn, just like the rest of us.”

 

“Yes, but I came here because I wanted to help. If I’m just going to _sit here_ because he doesn’t need me, why should I bother staying?”

 

“I kind of know how you feel. This isn’t really my kind of work, and I’d rather be doing other things.” Audrey chuckled. “It pays well, but my usual labors are much safer.”

 

“I’ve realized what I have to do. I need to prove to him that I can still be strong enough to persevere.”

 

“... You sound like you’re about to do something _very_ stupid. And my guess is, you need some help.”

 

“Know me so well, don’t you?‘

 

“How could I not? We came here together, you and I.”

 

* * *

 

I ended up being really busy with moving back home again after I'd written this one. Again, constructive criticism is welcome.


	3. Tinctures and Friendship

In the back room of the brothel, a gasp of pain was heard behind one of the curtained rooms. A man covered in pink patches, covered in bandages, sat on a bed as he was being tended to; his caregiver a woman in a black cloak, wearing a white beaked mask. She was unraveling the bandages around his arms and chest, then applying a thin gray ointment on them.

 

“Remind me again why we’re doing this here, of all places.” The man asked, fighting through the pain.

 

“Because nobody will walk in on you without your mask here.” The doctor replied, focusing on the task at hand.

 

Her patient tried not to struggle as she began wrapping new bandages around the sores on his body. After she had finished, she started packing up her various supplies and instruments.

 

“That’s all I can do for now.”

 

“I cannot thank you enough for your help, Paracelsus.”

 

“Don’t mention it. It’s my job to tend to the sick, after all.”

 

“Are you sure you don’t want any payment? It’s the least I could do for all your trouble.”

 

Paracelsus shook her head. “I won’t hear of it. I was helping a friend, and that’s not some tincture you can buy.”

 

She stood, and offered the man a hand. “Ready?”

 

He nodded, and they walked out of the brothel together. Both of them tried to ignore the whispers and disparaging comments from those who thought they were quiet enough to go unheard. Neither spoke until they’d gotten outside.

 

“You seem better today, Baldwin.” Paracelsus lied, trying to help her friend feel better.

 

“Heh. Maybe I am. But it’s hard to know how I feel.” The leper saw through the lie his friend had told, but knew that pointing it out would only make them both feel worse.

 

Paracelsus put a tender hand on his shoulder. “The world’s a madhouse for people like us. But believe me when I say that I’ll find a way to cure your illness. I won’t rest until I do.”

 

For a moment, the sheer conviction that the young physician had spoken with almost convinced Baldwin that she would keep her word.

 

But would she? His mind swam with the feelings of his doubt; Paracelsus was a relentless and dedicated plague doctor, she would absolutely stay determined to hold that promise. But was a cure even possible? So much death existed in the world already, what difference would the life of a single man make?

 

“Thank you.”

 

Baldwin got up, and started to make his way back to his own quarters for the night. Paracelsus stayed behind, contemplating her situation.

 

Despite trying every remedy and concoction she had learned (or developed), Paracelsus was forced to admit that she didn’t have a clue how to cure Baldwin. He had suffered of leprosy for years, even before he left his old life behind to come to the Hamlet. Perhaps if she’d been there from the start, there might have been something to do, but now it was too strong for his body to fight. All that her medicines could do now was simply slow the inevitable.

 

But perhaps in the mysteries of this place, she could unlock all manner of secrets. Including the path to curing even the leprosy that claimed Baldwin’s life for its own.

For now, the young doctor would continue her work: death and healing in equal doses, at the service of the so-called Lord Darkest. But one day soon, she would find her own path. There was more power to be found in this world than gold alone, and Paracelsus would be the one to find it.

* * *

 

The other half of the main cast has arrived! Now, to get everyone together.


End file.
